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(born 1977). American gridiron football quarterback Tom Brady led the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) to six Super Bowl victories (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019) and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) four times (2002, 2004, 2015, and 2017).

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr., was born on August 3, 1977, in San Mateo, California. He played football at the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to victory in the 1999 Orange Bowl. He was a sixth-round draft choice of the New England Patriots in 2000. In the second game of the 2001 season, the Patriots’ starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, was injured, and Brady was chosen to fill the position. With Brady at quarterback, the Patriots went on to post an 11–3 record in the regular season and to upset the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl; Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP.

The Patriots became one of the NFL’s elite teams, posting an incredible 40–12 record during Brady’s first three seasons. In 2004 the team returned to the Super Bowl, defeating the Carolina Panthers and earning Brady another Super Bowl MVP award. The momentum carried through to the next season, as the Patriots extended their consecutive win streak to 21, breaking the record of 18 set by the Miami Dolphins in 1972–73. Brady and the Patriots capped off the season with their third Super Bowl in four years, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Although Brady guided the Patriots to a perfect 16–0 regular-season record in 2007, earning NFL MVP honors in the process, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the underdog New York Giants. In 2010 Brady led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and helped the Patriots to a league-best 14–2 record. Despite the Patriots experiencing an upset in their first play-off game the following postseason, Brady was named league MVP a second time, becoming the first player to capture the award unanimously. The Patriots suffered another Super Bowl loss to the Giants in February 2012.

Following the 2014 regular season, Brady once again led the Patriots to the Super Bowl, where he spearheaded a fourth-quarter rally to secure a 28–24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Brady passed for 328 yards and four touchdowns in the contest to earn his third Super Bowl MVP trophy.

In May 2015 the NFL suspended Brady for having violated the league’s policy on the integrity of the game. Two Patriots locker-room attendants had purposely released air from footballs after the balls had been examined by referees during New England’s win over the Indianapolis Colts in the January 2015 American Football Conference (AFC) championship game. The NFL believed that Brady had been aware of that action. In September 2015 a U.S. federal judge nullified the four-game suspension. Brady went on to pass for 4,770 yards and an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns that season. The Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game, however.

During the off-season, Brady’s suspension from the previous year was reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals and applied to the first four games of the 2016 season. On December 4 of that year, Brady won his 201st game to surpass Peyton Manning for the most career victories (including play-offs) by an NFL quarterback. Brady then guided the Patriots to another appearance in the Super Bowl, where the team faced the Atlanta Falcons. Brady passed for a record 466 yards and two touchdowns in that game as he led the Patriots to a thrilling 34–28 overtime victory. The Patriots’ stunning rally from a 25-point deficit in the second half was the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Brady earned his record fourth Super Bowl MVP trophy, and the victory gave him an unprecedented fifth title as an NFL quarterback.

In 2017 Brady led the NFL in both passing yards (4,577) and pass attempts (581). He also threw for 32 touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a 13–3 regular-season record. He was again named league MVP, becoming, at age 40, the oldest player to win the award. The Patriots returned to the Super Bowl, where they faced the Philadelphia Eagles. Although Brady broke his own Super Bowl record by passing for 505 yards in the game, the Patriots lost to the Eagles by a score of 41–33. In 2018 Brady passed for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns in the regular season. He then led the Patriots to their third straight Super Bowl appearance. In the championship game, Brady helped the Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 13–3. At age 41, Brady was the oldest quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

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